Eating and body image concerns among average-weight and obese African American and Hispanic girls.

Concern has been expressed that African American and Hispanic girls, because of their greater prevalence and degree of overweight, may be at greater risk than Caucasian girls for the development of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to document the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to compare overweight and obese girls to average-weight girls with regard to early warning signs of eating disorder development. Participants included 139 predominantly African American and Hispanic girls who were classified as average weight, overweight, or obese in Grades 4 and 5. Overall, 18% of the girls were overweight and an additional 30.9% were obese. Overweight and obese girls had lower body esteem and greater concerns about peer influence than did their average-weight peers. They did not have greater fears of negative evaluation or more disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors. Future research should incorporate instruments more sensitive to disorders of overeating and investigate how eating disorder development differs among girls from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.